COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Forty-five employees at a Columbus nursing home have been paid more than $81,000 in back pay, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

An investigation carried out by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found Chelsea Health Care LLC violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime requirements to the tune of $81,399 in back wages.

According to the Department of Labor, Chelsea Health Care payed licensed practical nurses and health aides straight time plus $1 for each hour they worked beyond 40 hours in a work week. The required pay for overtime is time-and-one-half the normal rate of pay.

According to the investigation, the Chelsea Health Care’s payroll company advised them to put this pay structure into place as a cost-cutting measure.

Chelsea Health Care complied with the investigation’s findings, implementing the required overtime pay structure immediately upon the advice of its attorney, the Department of Labor stated.